My Second Chance Mate is a Barbarian (Sera and Fenris) novel Chapter 107

Lyra

We slipped out of my bedroom. The castle corridors were dim and silent, the stone walls lined with the painted portraits of my ancestors. I hated looking at them. They all had the exact same cold, calculating eyes my father had.

We moved quickly, keeping our footsteps light. We bypassed the main stairwell and took the narrow servant stairs down to the west wing.

We reached the heavy double doors of my father's study. I gripped the brass handle and pushed. It gave way silently. My father was so arrogant he never bothered locking his own doors. He truly believed no one in Valdris possessed the spine to cross his threshold without an invitation.

We stepped inside, and I pushed the doors shut until the latch clicked.

The study smelled heavily of old parchment, expensive tobacco, and lemon oil. It was massive. The walls were lined floor-to-ceiling with leather-bound books. A huge, polished mahogany desk sat dead in the center of the room, covered in rolled-up maps, wax seals, and stacked ledgers.

I walked straight past the desk toward the tall wooden cabinet in the far corner. I opened the glass doors and scanned the shelves.

"Got it," I whispered.

I pulled out a thick, heavy crystal bottle. The liquid inside was a dark, rich amber. There were no glasses in the cabinet, so I didn't bother looking for one. I popped the wooden cork out with my teeth, spit it into my palm, and set it on the shelf.

I tipped the bottle back and took a long pull.

The liquor hit the back of my throat like larva. I choked instantly, coughing hard into my elbow. My eyes watered, and my chest seized up. But seconds later, a heavy, radiating warmth bloomed right behind my ribs. The nervous edge of sneaking into the room dissolved completely.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and held the heavy crystal out to Nadia. "Drink."

Nadia looked at the bottle, then at the intimidating mahogany desk, and finally took the glass. She hesitated for a second before taking a smaller sip. She winced, squeezing her eyes shut tightly as the alcohol hit her stomach.

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